Intradenominational Conflict: A Social Movements Perspective
A comprehensive critical review is presented of the extant research on intradenominational conflict, identifying & describing five major shortcomings. Also described are two research projects that avoided these shortcomings by investigating intradenominational conflicts as social movements: (1) an examination of intra-Mennonite conflict 1870-1985, which illustrates how articulating the connection between the ideological content & the cultural context of conflict explains historical patterns in their rise & fall; & (2) a cross-denominational analysis of the emergence & outcome of movements for the ordination of women, which demonstrates how a comparative perspective challenges prevailing understandings concerning the social sources of these movements & their relationship to the braoder feminist movement. It is concluded that the analysis of intradenominational conflicts as social movements, especially from a comparative historical perspective, generates important new knowledge about such conflict & the religious & social change that results.
